A student and LGBT activist has been shot dead at a campus in Atlanta.

An LGBT student activist has been shot and killed in the United States by police, with the horrific scene caught on camera. An alert was issued for people to stay indoors as things got heated. One officer then opens fire. Fellow students rushing to her aid as she's pinned to the ground.

Gerogia Tech released a statement, saying the university was "deeply saddened" by the loss of the student.

Stewart claimed that Scout was holding a utility tool with the knife blade retracted. After that, the police officer fired a single shot and Schultz could be heard screaming.

Attorney Chris Stewart told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he thinks Schultz was having a mental breakdown and didn't know what to do.

Speaking with New York Daily News , Schultz's mother Lynn described her child as "nonconformist and very, very bright", noting that Schultz had a "lot of empathy for other people".

Schultz continued to advance toward the officers shouting "Shoot me!" Schultz did not have a gun in video of the incident, but police said Schultz had a knife and refused to put it down.

As police arrived, they say Schultz was outside a dorm wielding a knife.

A spokesman for the Georgia Tech Police Department, Lance Wallace, told CNN their officers do not carry stun guns.

Schultz's parents have questioned the officer's use of lethal force. "They pushed us to do more events and a larger variety [of] events, and we would not be the organization we are known as without their constant hard work and dedication", said the group in a statement, using Schultz's preferred gender pronoun.